1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a colorimetry device, and more particularly to a colorimetry device for performing color analysis of a leaf of a plant and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the progress of the biotechnology, there has been a demand for a colorimetry device for performing color analysis of a leaf of a plant, and the like. As examples of the colorimetry devices, there are well known in the art a device using an integrating sphere (see patent documents 1, 2), and the 0/45 geometry (an measurement geometry in which a measured object is irradiated with measuring light at a right angle (0 degree) so as to enable light diffused therefrom to be detected by a light receiving element arranged at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the irradiation light), and the like. A technique for analyzing a vegetation state of a plant is also disclosed in the patent document 3.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-114503
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-218159
Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-117402
In a device using the integrating sphere and a device using the 0/45 geometry disclosed in the above described patent documents 1, 2, a leaf of a plant, which is a measured object, needs to be collected and made to be fetched to such devices installed in a study room and a laboratory so as to be measured. However, there is a demand for measuring color of a leaf, etc. in a state that a plant is actually planted in the field (without the leaf being cut off from the plant).
Although the technique for analyzing vegetation state of a plant is disclosed in the patent document 3, the technique is intended for performing color analysis based on a picture taken from the sky, making it impossible to perform color measurement of individual leaves of plants at a site.